HARRY TRUMAN LIBRARY Papers of NATHANIEL DAVIS Despatch no. 159, April 22, 1949, San José, Costa Rica UNCLASSIFIED American Embassy, inclosure no. from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is said that Lord lson as a young lieutenant lost his eye during a battle for the fortresa and the cona ndante pointed out an old oak which has long been known as the olson Oak. He also pointed out the place where two American Marines were killed during a fight for the fort and told me that ita last remaining antiquated cannon had been taken away by the marines and never seen again. In the old days when shallow bottomed ateamers plied the river, passengers and Carejo e had to be unloaded beneath the rapids, carried around the rapids on a mule powered railroad, and loaded on another steamer above the rapids. The tracks have long since rusted but traces can still be seen.
Ás it was obvious that we were not going to get to the mouth of the river by night we decided to stop at El Castillo since there were accomodations of sorts available and nothing similar below. After visiting the fort we went out and fished for tarpon. There were hundreds. big six footers.
We hooked altogether between us but were unsuccessful in landing any with our light tackle. We were lodged for the night in a house on the water edge with a portion of the building actually jutting over the water. All of us for whom there was room set up our cots on the porch and the rest of the party slept inside. The young woman who owned the place and her mother served us an excellent supper.
April 17.
After another good meal we walked around the rapide to the apot where the launch had preceded us and started out at 7:15. The ride down the river was very pretty and the banks were almost devoid of habitation. We made three stope; two at guard stations to check our papers and one at a sinail Chinese store where we bought soft drinks and matches. We arrived at Barro Colorado at 5:30, and were met by Juan Schroeder in whose house we were to spend the night.
Schroeder father was American vice consul in Port Linon many years ago. His mother was Costa Rican. He and three partners have a small business lightering freight between Barro Colorado and Port Limon and on the lower reaches of the San Juan river. Our baggage was unloaded into his warehouse and we spread our sleeping bags in the living quarters above it.
April 18.
We were up at daylight as the captain of the tugboat that was to take us to Limon was anxious to cross the bar before a. The bar 19 quite rough and shallow and navigating it is a matter of some skill. After a quick breakfast we got away at 5:45 and bounced and pounded our way across the bar. It then began to rain and for the next two hours we sailed through moderate swells and heavy rain to the mouth of the Tortuguero river le wanted to go in and try UNCLASSIFIED